The New Jersey Devils visit the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday, Oct. 30, at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT) at T-Mobile Arena. They’re coming off a 5-2 loss at the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday, Oct. 28, that ended their four-game winning streak. Connor Brown scored twice, including a shorthanded goal, and Jake Allen made 40 saves on 45 shots on the second night of a back-to-back.

The Devils (8-5-0) are 1-1-0 on the trip after a 5-1 win at the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, Oct. 27, in Hellebuyck’s debut. Vegas (9-4-1) beat the Ottawa Senators 4-1 on Tuesday, Oct. 27, to snap a three-game losing streak. It’s the first of two meetings this season. The Devils host the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Game Info

Devils Projected Lines

The Devils didn’t practice Thursday, so this is Wednesday’s lineup in Colorado, with Johnathan Kovacevic the expected healthy scratch behind Chisholm and Dillon. Hellebuyck got the full day and night off Wednesday after stopping 17 of 18 shots in Dallas, so he’s the likely starter with Allen backing up, but the Devils haven’t announced it and Daily Faceoff lists him as unconfirmed.

Golden Knights Projected Lines

Hart left Tuesday’s morning skate with an undisclosed injury and his status for Friday is unclear, so Hill, who made 25 saves in Tuesday’s win and is 5-1-0, is the likely starter. Daily Faceoff lists Hart as the backup, while NHL.com lists Whitehead.

Injuries

Five Things to Know

Hellebuyck is 1-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average and .944 save percentage as a Devil, and he’s the logical choice after a night off. Allen carried the load Wednesday and made 40 saves as Colorado outshot New Jersey 45-22. There’s a Team USA subplot, too: Hellebuyck was in goal when the U.S. won Olympic gold in February, Jack Hughes scored the overtime winner against Canada, and Vegas has Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin from that team. (How Hellebuyck got here.)

The Devils went 0-for-3 with the man advantage in both Dallas and Colorado, including a late 5-on-3 in the second period Wednesday. They’re 7-for-40 (17.5%) on the season, 23rd in the NHL. Vegas’s penalty kill is 67.6%, 27th, and the Golden Knights have allowed a power-play goal in six straight games. The other side of it matters, too: Vegas’s power play is 25.6%, seventh in the NHL, and the Devils’ penalty kill is 72.4%, 24th. (More in the Concern-O-Meter.)

Nico Hischier has 497 career points after scoring twice in Dallas, and his seven goals lead the Devils. Jack Hughes leads the team with 14 points (4 goals, 10 assists) in 13 games and has 442 points in 442 career games. Arseny Gritsyuk has six goals, and Brown has three points in five games since coming off injured reserve.

The Golden Knights, under first-year head coach Ryan Craig, are 6-2-0 at T-Mobile Arena. Eichel has 20 points (7 goals, 13 assists) in 14 games, and Stone has a team-high eight goals and 16 points. Marner is back after missing two games for the birth of his son and has 13 points in 12 games. Vegas scores 3.57 goals per game, eighth in the NHL, and allows 2.79, sixth-fewest. Tuesday’s 4-1 win ended Vegas’s first losing streak of the season (0-2-1).

At 5-on-5, the Devils have 57.6% of the expected goals (31.30 to 23.05) but have outscored opponents only 29-26. Vegas is at 55.8% (31.87 to 25.29) and has outscored opponents 31-25 (Post Hockey, through Oct. 28; Wednesday’s numbers are provisional). The Devils take 32.6 shots per game, second in the NHL, and allow 25.1, seventh-fewest. Vegas takes 29.7 shots (eighth) and allows 25.1 (eighth-fewest).

Head-to-Head

The teams split two meetings last season. Vegas won 3-0 at Prudential Center on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, and the Devils won 2-1 in a shootout in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, with Allen making 36 saves. This season’s series opens Friday, Oct. 30.

The Bottom Line

The Devils are playing good hockey and the shot numbers say they should keep winning, but Wednesday showed what happens when the goalie gets peppered, and Vegas is 6-2-0 at home with Eichel, Stone and Marner. If Hellebuyck starts and the Devils cash in against a penalty kill that ranks 27th, they can finish the trip 2-1-0. If the power play goes cold again, this could be another tight one.